MILWAUKEE -- An Interleague matchup vs. the Brewers meant Edwin Encarnacion got the start at first base for the first time since hitting the disabled list with a strained right quadriceps muscle.

Encarnacion was activated from the DL on Friday but played his first three games at designated hitter. Toronto wanted to limit the wear and tear on his right leg, but with a pair of games in Milwaukee this week, that's no longer possible.

The 31-year-old was at first base and the plan is for that to happen again on Wednesday while Adam Lind becomes a late-inning pinch-hitter off the bench.

"We'll see how it goes, I don't think it will be a big deal," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "We need him."

Encarnacion missed approximately six weeks because of the quad injury, but it hasn't taken him very long to get his timing back at the plate. The Dominican native had a pair of hits during his recent three-game series vs. the White Sox, which included a two-run homer in Sunday's 7-5 loss.